EXAMPLE 1
HOW TO GET EXCELLENT RESULTS ON YOUR
EXAMINATION
Thomas Edison, one of the world’s
leading inventors once remarked that genius was “two per cent inspiration and
ninety-eight per cent perspiration.” He worked very hard –often 20 hours a day
– doing hundreds of experiments before he could produce an invention. As a
student, do you work as hard as Edison to achieve success in your studies, by
getting excellent results in your examination? Do you know how to do it? Here are a few guidelines you can follow to
ensure that you do very well in your exams.
Firstly,
it is important that you pay attention during lectures. This is to make
sure that you understand whatever has been taught. If you talk with your
friends or daydream when the lecturer is teaching, you will miss valuable
information. Do not depend on your friends to explain the part of the lecture
that you have missed. This is because they themselves might not have understood
it. Besides, you need to concentrate on the lecture to take down notes which
will help you to study and revise for test or exams.
Secondly,
you must study throughout the semester and not just before exams. A
last-minute preparation will make you confused because you have so much to study
in such a short time. This might lead to panic and eventually stress. To
prevent this from happening to you, put in regular hours of private study
throughout the semester. Do not leave it until the eleventh hour. By then it
will be too late.
Finally, you should prepare a timetable for revision. You
need to have a study schedule or a plan of work for each day so that your time
will be allocated effectively. A timetable will ensure that you do not waste
your precious time on activities that are not related to study. However, having
a good plan will not benefit you, unless you stick to it. You have to work smart so as to get
excellent results in your examination. To work smart means working hard and
ensuring that there is a system in your study. If you follow the guidelines given above, you will definitely achieve
success in your examination.
EXAMPLE 2
Traffic jams have become one of the
aspects of Malaysian lifestyles. Why do you think this is so? Discuss.
Malaysia is well known for a number of
things like good food, beautiful beaches, tallest building, friendly Malaysians
and not forgetting terrible traffic jams. Yes, traffic jams have become one of
the aspects of Malaysian lifestyles. In fact, some of us even use traffic jams
as our excuse when we are late in submission of assignments. Why are we putting
up with these traffic jams? There are
many reasons for this phenomenon of traffic jams in our lives.
In this affluent society, owning a car is not impossible dream.
Most of us are able to own a car because of the low affordable installments schemes
offered nowadays. Buying a car is indeed a necessity. Besides, nowadays it is
very common to see a family with at least two cars. These of course have
contributed to the large number of vehicles on the roads.
Another
factor contributing to the increasing traffic jams is Malaysians are not in the
habit of car pooling. In many ways, we are conceited selfish lots as we do
not want to create inconvenience for ourselves and also not to trouble other
people. Thought we are aware of the benefit of car pooling to reduce traffic
jams, we are still far from getting ourselves to embrace the practice of car
pooling.
Next,
Malaysians are immune to the traffic jams. They have become a part and
parcel of our lives. Most of us will just shrug our shoulders and accept the
frustrations of being caught in the traffic jams as something that cannot be
avoided. Even when there is the ease of travelling in our Light Rail Transport
(LRT) which has been hailed as the solution to reduce traffic congestion, many
of us still prefer to travel in the comfort of our own car.
In conclusion, traffic jams will
continue to be part of our lifestyle for years to come, if our mentality for
comfort, convenience and social status remains the same. We need to change our
attitude if the problem of traffic jams is to be alleviated. We need too to change our mindset and try
to make use of the public transportation system or to car-pool whenever we can.
EXAMPLE 3
The Challenges that teenagers face in
life today.
The teenagers of today face a rapidly
changing world with many challenges. They are confronted with many social
issues in life. These young people are at stage of their lives where they have
a sense of critical perspective in what they see across the world. Challenges
come in various forms: neglect, peer pressure, identity problems, drugs, eating
disorders and others. Our young people
need to be en courage to grow to be productive citizens of the country but
first, we need to know the challenges that these teenagers face on a daily
basis.
It
is generally believed that the teenager years are characterized by rebellion
and confusion, the need for social acceptance by one’s peers as the teenagers
struggle to define their identity to get a focus in life. This is proven to
be one of the biggest challenges that teenagers will face today. They evaluate
the performances according to the judgments of others and when they fall short,
they are angry, depressed and they blame themselves for falling short of the
expectation of others. Young people, who dress differently, think differently.
They act differently and may be consumed with self- reproach, anxiety and fear.
They think that to be accepted, they must like the others. They then struggle
to be like others and often end up unhappy and stressed because they are not
able to keep up the charade.
Besides
peer pressure, other challenges faced by teenagers include personal matters of
the heart. Because teenagers are growing up between the stage of being not
quite adults and not being children, they have a roller coaster of emotions
buried deep within them. Being in love and falling out of love is a challenge
faced by teenagers today. Although the teen years offer new experiences and
challenges that can be exciting, this period of time can also be stressful. The
stress of adolescence is one of many factors that can make young people
unhappy. Because teenagers face hormonal changes, these can affect their moods.
To be able to handle the different mood swings is also challenging to the
teenagers. Teenagers may become pressurized, stressed out or worse, be
depressed.
Besides
that, the biggest challenge faced by many teenagers is the need to succeed
academically. Studies are a major challenge for most teenagers and this is
by no means getting easier with the stiff competition in the world of
education. Students are becoming smarter and the drive to be the best is the
constant challenge faced by many teenagers.
To conclude, all of us need to
recognize these challenges faced by the young people and we have to find ways
to help them overcome their problems. The teenagers who are going through
difficult and tough times need positive, caring people who can steer them to
the right direction so their lives can be shaped into something positive and
meaningful. Teenagers, like all of us,
sometimes just need help and guidance and ears to listen to their problems.
EXAMPLE 4
Forming study groups is an effective way
f studying. Give your opinions.
Forming independent study groups is a
common phenomenon in polytechnics, colleges and universities these days. This
concept is also promoted by the local school authorities as research has proven
that there are many advantages to be
derived when students discuss lessons in groups.
Firstly,
study groups help students to gain important values that cannot be literally
taught in class. In study groups, students depend on each other for
support. The faith and trust put on members in group create the bond and bind
them together. Members have to be committed to one another as long as they are
part of the group. It is this interdependence that increases the effectiveness
of a study group. Punctuality is another ground rule that all members come and
go as they like, the bond will be broken and the group will slowly sink.
Secondly,
study groups promote active interaction among students. This is healthy as
through interaction students are able to revise lessons that were taught in
class and help each other in subject areas. Lessons which are not understood or
covered well in class can be trashed out with friends. This encourages active
learning and students are able to internalize concepts and ideas better in the
long run. Over time students become not just good communicators, but good
listeners as well.
Thirdly, Study groups help
students become effective team players. Generally, students would like to
belong to a group they are comfortable with and have faith in. In a study group
students have to train themselves to have a positive mindset and to contribute
ideas. This challenges students to increase their knowledge and to prepare them
for challenging tasks in their careers later on in life. If members are
negative, lazy and not committed, they may be rejected by members. Being
effective team members helps prepare students for the workforce too. Companies
these days expect employees to cooperate and work well in group projects.
In conclusion, the above points show us that study groups have many
advantages to offer the students. All teachers should encourage and guide their
students to form study groups. It may
take your time getting adjusted to group study, but over time you will find it
rewarding.
EXAMPLE 5
Gangsterism has become a problem in many
schools these days. Discuss.
Gangsterism is becoming a growing
problem in schools these days. Although efforts have been taken by school
authorities to curb this problem, unfortunately, it still exists. This
inevitably affects the teaching and learning process of the students. It is necessary to find out the reasons why
students get involved in gangsterism and to look for ways to solve this
problem.
The
main cause for gangsterism, especially in most secondary schools, is peer
pressure. Students, especially at lower secondary level, are sometimes
coerced into submitting to their seniors. These students are afraid that if
they do not submit themselves to their seniors, they may be harassed, bullied
and even physically harmed. These seniors become gangsters who normally target
meek and insecure students and lure them with money. Little do these preys
realize that they are unconsciously being initiated into becoming gang members
themselves. This cycle goes on and one tragedy leads to another.
Another
cause for gangsterism is the influence of the home on students’ minds.
Research has shown that students from broken homes are vulnerable to these
activities. These days, with both parents working, students lack parental love
and care. This is compounded if parents bicker and fight all the time while
they are at home. All these may lead to insecurity in students. When this
happens, these innocent victims fall preys to the negative attractions handed
to them by gangsters. Interestingly, one cannot deny that the bond among
gangsters, even at a young age, is solid and strong.
The
family and the school play important roles in curbing this problem.
Firstly, parents should take full responsibility of their children and their
daily movements. Care and attention should be given to children at home to
boost their self esteem and to assure them that their home is their safety
zone. There should also be good communication between parents and children.
Apart from that, parents have to make it a point to visit their children’s
schools often enough to get feedback on their children’s performances. In this
way, students will feel belonged and valued and will not be threatened by the
tactics used by gangsters.
In short, the responsibility to curb
gangsterism falls on the shoulders of parents too. The home should be safety
net for students not just in happier times but also during difficulties. Together with the schools, parents can help
to reduce or even to eliminate gangsterism over time.
